Infinity Braids Are Weaving Their Way Through Instagram

Despite having natural chocolate-brown hair that I love, I still follow more hair colorists on Instagram than actual people I know. I live vicariously through the bright rainbow-haired people that come up on my Instagram feed and occasionally dream of dyeing my hair like the mother of pearl trend. Megan Schipani, a stylist at Bescene Studios in Rockville, Maryland, is one of my favorites to follow. Better known as @shmeggsandbaconn on Instagram, hair creations with clever names like "spicy watermelon" and "summer quartz" throughly entertain me. Lately, she's been styling her clients' hair into a braid that is much more intricate than the fishtails. She calls them "infinity braids."

Turns out, #infinitybraid has about 4,822 posts, and #infinitybraids has another 419. It's alternate name, F8 braid, has hundreds of more posts. F* is short for figure eight. Why? The braiding technique involves weaving hair over and under three or four sections of hair in a figure eight-like motion, Schipani tells Allure. "The motion your hand moves in is in the shape of an infinity sign," she adds. "You repeat this motion over and over, adding hair to the weaving strand if it gets too thin or short when necessary."

Schipani says she picked up infinity braids from Efi Davies, the international artistic director for Toni and Guy London. "She posted a few quick videos of them," she explains. "I just practiced over and over until I mastered them." Depending on the length of the hair, Schipani says infinity braids take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to create. Now that's dedication.

Although colored hair is a plus for this look, it's not necessary. "I love doing infinity braids on colored hair because they tend to look almost like a textile," Schipani says. "I feel like they pop more on colored hair and generally you can see the braids better on lighter colors. I love picking and choosing certain colored strands to create color patterns."

If you want to try this technique at home, Schipani recommends keeping the braid tight as you go and adding some texturizing spray to the hair first to add grip to the hair. "It helps with keeping the hair from sliding out of your hands," she explains. Noted. Now, I just have to muster the patience to try this out.